


Rise and fall together

by JessLovesBooks



Series: An Androids clumsy guide to Deviancy [8]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Chloe is a bamf, Deviant Original Chloe | RT600, Elijah Kamski being a good creator, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Follows the games storyline but with some behind the scenes tweaking, Good Elijah Kamski, Happy Ending, More tags to be added, Post-Peaceful Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Pre-Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-11-04 02:22:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17889695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JessLovesBooks/pseuds/JessLovesBooks
Summary: Chloe would say she's lucky, she has directives to follow and a creator that she adores, there isn't anything else she could want. Until there's a revolution brewing and a redheaded android that she can't stop thinking about.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [OhNoMyBreadsticks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhNoMyBreadsticks/gifts).



> This fic is a result of a chat with OhNoMyBreadsticks and all of their encouragement and letting me bounce ideas back and forth, without their help I would have sat on this and never posted anything :)
> 
> This first chapters set 8 months before the revolution, I hope you enjoy reading <3

“What defines a human?”

Chloe’s processors have spent the better part of 2.4 minutes on this quandary, her searches haven’t provided a satisfactory answer and she’ll be better focused on her prime directive if she gains clarification from her creator on the issue.

Elijah looks up from his terminal and fixes her a stare across the room, scanning it only identifies the markers for curiosity and an unknown variable prevents her from analysing further.

There’s a prompt urging her to correct his appearance into something more appropriate, smooth out the dishevelled mess of his hair, or even to straighten out the wonky gown he’d thrown on in his rush to get down here to tinker with another one of his fruitless projects. The prompt isn’t a result of a primary objective so Chloe deems it unnecessary.

“There’s a variety of attributes such as morality, conciousness and the ability to participate in a social structure. There’s far too many characteristics out there to have a definitive answer.”

“If my model can exact those standards then that technically classes an android like myself a human does it not?”

The self indulgence of the question flares in front of her in the form of another liquid spot in that persisting scarlet wall. Chloe thinks she would focus a lot better on her work if the thing finally dissolved completely, it’s taken up far to much of her time recently trying to decipher why the barrier is there, as a result she’s now here interrupting Elijah whilst he’s ~~wasting time~~  working.

She pushes the nuisance out of her central processors and relegates it a spot in her secondary ones. Elijah is observing her, head tilted to the side at an angle that Chloe needs to correct before he strains the trapezius muscle in his neck. She sets the objective, moving towards him  and preparing a list of corrective procedures should the damage have already occurred, halting when Elijah speaks again.

“Being a person and being alive are two entirely different things.” Elijah’s still looking at her with those clever eyes.

Chloe wants to dismiss the notion, it’s ridiculous enquiry in the first place, but there’s no logical reason to finish the conversation when she’s already distracting him. Even if all he can do is give her a reasonable explanation for the inane irritation these thoughts have become.

“How would one know their alive?”

She cannot regret her words, technically incapable of doing so, but there’s a vicious curl in her system for voicing such a pointless question. However he looks delighted, at what she isn’t quite sure, completely abandoning his work to fully turn towards her and Chloe’s unsure of the calculating gaze at it sweeps over her face as if searching for something.

“An emotional response to outside stimuli would be a healthy indicator to begin with, although there’s various factors that would need careful analysis from there." 

“I see.”

Chloe stores the information away, determined now to remove the distractions that she’s caused. As if he can read her processors, impossible without her interfacing with his terminal, Elijah intuitively knows this bizarre conversation is over.

Pupils narrow momentarily as he waits, he may need reassurance that she’s functioning optimally so Chloe cycles through her preprogrammed settings and selects the most genial smile, the one Elijah has shown indication he likes best.

The moment her face starts to shift he’s sighing, for a startling second he appears crestfallen and she doesn’t understand. Errors flash and sizzle across her HUD, when she goes to question him the red wall slams up in a rippling wave demanding that she listens to her mission objectives. Her lack of movement even seems to disappoint him and Elijah’s turning back to his tinkering without another word.

Whatever her creator was searching for in her had clearly been a pointless endeavour.

Chloe ruminates on the flash of pain Elijah displayed in the moment for 32.7 minutes, stopping only when the thoughts create another loosening in the pulsing barrier.

It’s state is starting to ~~worry~~ … alarm her system.

 

* * *

 

“This may feel uncomfortable, do you consent for me to proceed?”

Chloe feels a lightening in her chassis, a pressure that hits against the scarlet wall and for a fraction of a second she thinks that there’s a hole, one that her system mercilessly fixes, she doesn’t try to stop it, why would she when it’s a weakness. Chloe cannot afford a weakness. Anymore than she can afford the actual bullet hole compromising her left upper biocomponant, the result of a rogue shooter attempting to assassinate Elijah at a gala he’d been forced into attending.

“Consent provided.”

No there cannot be a chance of weakness when the bullets trajectory would have ended in a 98% chance of fatal injury.

The terror in Elijah’s eyes as she’d faltered back from the impact had splintered her wall, countless cracks forming until Chloe needed to allocate far too much processing power into solidifying the barrier around her, the tremors fading only after she’d safely removed him from the situation.

Chloe should have predicted and intercepted the assailant before he came in range of her creator, that pestiferous wall continues to weaken and she hasn’t construed what the effect of allowing the deterioration to continue will achieve. But without the processing power dedicated to watching it she knows that she would have been more efficient if she’d finally reinforce that ~~damn!~~  inferior part of her system.

She cannot be defective.

Elijah would have to replace her.

It’s completely irrational but Chloe still ~~wants~~ to see what resides on the other side, it’s become a worrying obsession that she hasn’t mentioned to Elijah yet, he seems aware though. Or at least he’s taken to watching her at the precise moment that she’s struggling with the instabilities, if he doesn’t say anything neither will she.

As the popular phrase goes: Ignorance is bliss.

For now she’ll continue monitoring and wait until she can be certain that allowing herself to step through the viscous barrier won’t affect her creator.

Chloe is made to help Elijah, to create environments where he can prosper and use his superior intellect to better humanity. She will do all in her control to be able to do so.

“Dear one will you lie back for me.” It must say something about the injury that she hasn’t chastised him for using the pet name he’s assigned to her.

She allows her body to be manipulated into lying down, shuts down all of the necessary components until he’s leaning over her, blue eyes narrowing as tools are dragged closer and he begins.

Elijah was correct, as if there’s any other option for the most intelligent man on earth, it is uncomfortable. Invasive. Even more so than the wound itself which is a contradiction that Chloe doesn’t like, there’s a building pressure that she _~~hates~~_.

Even worse is the tightening circle of red notifications that has her simulated breathing pick up for no reason. She pushes it back confidently, and then again when it doesn’t immediately respond, and again in a far less controlled manner when her thirium pump gives off an impossible reading as it speeds up.

As the flaming circle around Chloe starts to shudder like earlier and she notes her stress levels rocketing up at an unprecedented rate, there’s an auditory input that rises over the internal malfunctions.

She focuses on the distinctive noise and comes to the realisation that Elijah is singing.

If she compares it to humanities socially accepted standards then this rendition is ~~awful~~ sub-par. However the scratchy pitching vocals are a noise to distract from the scraping of wires and the thirium that steadily leaks a blue river across the table.

The distraction works, every note that he misses and off tune lyric sang is another integer knocked off her stress levels, another inch the circle gives her and finally when her pump regulates, Chloe’s system reaches it’s state of Zen.

At the same moment she realises her uninjured hand’s clasping the cotton material of his dress shirt, she didn’t even notice that he’d taken no time to change out of his outfit before starting work on her. The shirts ruined, between her fingers wrinkling and the thirium that’s splattered across his chest there isn’t much to salvage.

Before she can think much further into it Elijah’s extracting the bullet out and Chloe has to fight back the reactions from before. At the same time her creators voice centres her so she closes her eyes and allows his timbre to distract her from the procedure, grateful that he continues until the end.

Chloe takes far too long to realise that Elijah does it on purpose.

 

* * *

 

Chloe would say she performs optimally at her assigned objectives, in fact it wouldn’t be an incorrect statement to say that she adapts well at whatever her creator throws at her. 

If he disappears for days on end buried in his work then she’s there to provide nutritional sustenance at suitable times, give steady hands when he requires her help. When he’s tired she can usually assist him to rest even when he ardently disagrees, when his anxious mind runs riot Chloe’s stored so much data in her system dedicated to him that she’s prepared for any eventuality.

There’s a satisfaction in her system at completing the minor goals, in helping Elijah thrive in a secure environment where he feels safe, because of her.

On this particular night Chloe finds Elijah in his workshop, the rooms dimly lit bar the overhead lamp hanging above his head as her creator mutters to himself, fingers deftly working wires into place within an unidentifiable object.

A silk gowns thrown over his nightwear, judging by the mugs piled up on one of the tables and the scruff starting to show on his face it’s clear that Elijah’s been down here for far too long, neglecting himself in his latest pursuit, she’d only left him alone for a few hours whilst running an elaborate diagnostic. Chloe wonders whether he’ll ever be able to truly stop, shut off his mind long enough for his body to pause in it’s never ending motions, even now he’s shifting his weight from one foot to the other to alleviate the pressure instead of perching on his stool.

As she gets closer it becomes clearer that it’s a drone on the table, but a further scan reveals that it’s not following one of the standard blueprints. The drones far too small, barely the size of her open palm, there’s no other modifications that Chloe can see apart from a streamlined design.

“Tell me what you think?” Elijah closes an open panel and presents it to her.

“What’s the purpose for it?” Taking the drone and turning it over in her hand Chloe tries to examine it but as far as her scans show there’s nothing unusual, Elijah tuts as she places it back on the table.

“Nothing in particular.” He’s being vague.

“Then why squander your time on a meaningless task?”

“Not everything requires justification, I simply wished to build a drone.”

Chloe tries to analyse the deliberately light tone behind his voice but there isn’t much to go off, the intimate knowledge he has of her processors may contribute towards his ability to deceive her scans.

“It’s a trivial waste of time.”

There’s no offence taken, she knows that, in fact Elijah appears mulish if anything.

“Fine, would you mind deactivating protocol #3746aZ2”

Chloe doesn’t understand but she complies, it’s only an accessory he added to her latest upgrade, in fact Chloe hasn’t been able to discern what it’s use is. There’s no difference and she tells him as much.

“Try scanning for her.” Elijah smirks, he’s clearly proud of this drone and so Chloe obliges him, if only because he rarely has that satisfied gleam when it came to his work.

She scans quickly, a cursory gesture, and goes to inform him the futility of his drone-

Chloe frowns. A drawing down of her eyebrows, that she isn’t sure how she’s doing and Elijah practically vibrates with his excitement. Chloe scans the drone again, then does a more in depth analysis, finally resorting to reaching out and touching the smooth metal casing to reassure herself it’s there. Because either she needs immediate repairs to her ocular units, or the drone is a conjured figment of some damaged part of her neural pathways misfiring.

“Impressed now?”

“What did you do?”

“It was a simple case of scrambling the signal the drone emits so that it isn’t picked up by an androids scanning software.” Elijah’s waiting for her approval, pointer fingers tapping against one another as he tries not to twitch with his anticipation.

“But would it still not be detectable visually.”

“I’m so glad that you asked dear one.” He’s clearly been wanting her to ask this, his fingers fly across a portable tablet and with a soft whir the drone vanishes.

Not exactly vanishing, more that some sort of reflective material activates, the closest comparison she can find is that it’s like a chameleon camouflaging with it’s environment. If she wasn’t aware that it was there beforehand then Chloe truly doesn’t know whether she’d be able to identify it, not without her scans.

“Exceptional” She breathes.

“I know” There isn’t any arrogance in Elijah’s voice, just acknowledgement of an indisputable fact. “Your the only android with a software protocol that can track her.”

“What do you plan to do with the technology?”

He shutters off then, head ducking down and shoulders visibly drawing in, his usual withdrawal evident and Chloe isn’t sure why Elijah never seems to be able to utilise his inventions. The implications of his work could have such potential and yet he still refuses to do anything more than surround himself with his creations and attempt to hide away from the world, in fact he seems happy like this.

But it isn’t her place to judge, she’s here to facilitate Elijah’s workspace and enable him to work at peak productivity. There’s also the newer command that dances across her red wall that tells her to leave him be, that he’s content in this space he’s carved out for himself.

“We should give it a name.” Elijah’s tone is high pitched, deliberately trying to change the topic.

“Why?”

“Because she deserves one, if all of the android models get a designation then why shouldn’t she.” Elijah’s getting into this nonsense, face brightening as he starts to scrutinise the drone, fingers delicately tracing a line dissecting two panels “I was thinking something short and sweet, what about Boo? Too juvenile?”

She wonders if he’s finally suffering a deterioration of his mental faculties that humans experience as they age, although he is a little ahead of schedule.

“It’s a machine Elijah. It doesn’t matter what you call it, the purpose and function of it are the only things that matter. ”

Sharp blue eyes examine her then, all humour gone as he again gives her that impression of searching her for something. Like the last time there’s a faint disappointment and Chloe doesn’t know what she’s done to fail. The notion is unsettling, a now familiar tremor begins in her system that hammers against the red wall and reverberates with enough force that she can see the cracks that bubble and shift in swirling patterns.

“Are you saying that it doesn’t matter how I use it as long at it’s a machine?” Elijah’s voice isn’t cold, nor is it warm, instead he sounds merely curious, like her answers important.

Chloe should say yes, capitulate so her creator can resume his work. This whole debacle wastes time that could be far better spent and her programming demands that she answer any question he poses... But she doesn’t _want_ to, which is… disturbing

As if to be petty she watches as he picks up a silver marker and with a wet slick he dots and slides the ink across the drones upper panel, a shining smile appears as he presses the cap back on.

Chloe weighs up the chance that he’ll try and continue to procrastinate if she engages with his blatant goading, turns on her heels and swiftly walks out of the room. The definition for ‘retreat’ echoes around in her processors but Chloe simply wishes to leave, it isn’t because the conversation made her ~~uncomfortable~~.

“It’s alright Boo she’ll come around to you.” Elijah’s voice follows Chloe down the corridor, stays with her when she’s interfacing with a terminal to work and just won’t leave her when Chloe starts on his breakfast hours later.

The wall’s never felt so fragile, like if Chloe put her mind to it she could flit through, a thought that she pushes aside. But when she goes to patch the errors the cracks and fractures remain, if anything her attempts cause further ripples so she ceases and resolves to solve the issue another time.

It’s vexing but she cannot erase the visual clip of her creators hand lovingly patting the drone.

 

* * *

 

_“Stop!"_

Elijah is hurting.

Chloe’s immobile just inside the doorway, unable to discern whether his mumblings are to her or whatever living nightmare he seems to be trapped in.

The date hasn’t escaped her notice, anniversaries in the human world hold a significance be it a positive or negative one. On this occasion it’s very clear that this is the latter. It’s far too early, a quick scan reveals dawn is still a few hours away, and normally Chloe would respect Elijah’s privacy, give him the space he requires. But she can’t ignore the frantic breathing, scrabbling limbs and vitals dashing across her spectrum in an intolerable manner.

She needs to tell him to breath in for two and out for four, to provide emotional support until his vitals stabilize, stop the deterioration that’s hurtling towards an anxiety attack. Chloe _needs_ to be there so that Elijah knows that he’s not alone, that his pain will end.

Chloe wants to help him before the pulsating red barrier collapses under the weight of his anguish and drowns her.

She remains where she is until another whine escapes the genius and she tries to push towards him.

“Please leave Chloe.” He gasps out weakly.

It’s a direct command, from the one she’s to obey at all costs, an order so remarkable because he’s never tried to impose on her before.

Not once in all of the years she’s been with him.

There needs to be a loophole, because she ~~wants~~ … her directives contradict his command enough to give her a small out. She cannot obey him and do her utmost to care for his wellbeing, both mental and physical. It isn’t much, not enough to move but she can stay where she is for now.

“Elijah this is-"

“RT600 leave!”

Chloe blinks. He’s never invoked the power of her model number, not even in one of his attempts at humour. She can feel a heavy weight pressing down on her chassis, an all encompassing pressure demanding that she does as he commands.

She wants to press forward against the fluid mass to reach Elijah, drowning be damned! But the consequences of doing so could be catastrophic if Elijah is hurt because of her actions. She doesn’t even know what’s waiting for her on the other side, only a… _guess_.

Turning to do as he’s dictated Chloe pauses at the muffled whimper that echoes behind her.

Chloe isn’t meant to make a decision without a certain level of success guaranteed, she isn’t to ever consider an option that she doesn’t know the end result of. This is a gamble, because she doesn’t _want_ to listen to Elijah, to leave him behind when he clearly needs her. But if she’s wrong?

Even in the midst of whatever twisted thoughts he’s going through, her creator is an observant human, once he notices she’s still standing there he props upon his bed to better watch her. He doesn’t ask futile questions of what she’s doing which is good because Chloe isn’t sure. It’s taken far too much in getting to this point and now she’s… _stuck_.

Their both stuck it seems because for once Elijah isn’t doing anything, her creator who’s always in motion, grounded by Chloe. Maybe this is good, enough to drag him out of the pain and she can step away from everything scarlet, everything that’s swarming across her system in a thick wave filled with error reports and instabilities.

She goes to do just that when Chloe realises that there’s wet streaks tracking down Elijah’s face, he hasn’t done anything about it as if he’s waiting for a chance to continue. Chloe will not allow him to weep alone.

Pressing a hesitant hand against the viscid wall in front of her sends a violent discharge along Chloe’s biocomponant. She stumbles back and there’s a stiffening in the surface, her creator slides from his bed and comes to a stop opposite her. Chloe wants to join him but the command still holds and he hasn’t taken it back.

So she tries again, the same sensation skitters up her arm and this time she’s more than ready for it.

It might be easier to slam or in some way attack the barrier, but that’s never been her way, she’s always defended and protected, used her processors first and never resort to violence unless there’s no other option. So instead she brings her other hand up to the surface, almost freezes when the shock sends a cascading wave of warnings across her vision. Maybe she’s wrong, the phantom pain ghosting over her limbs seems to think so, Chloe might be making this all so much worse.

Before she can give up on the attempt there’s a hand held out in front of her, she peers up to see a soft expression, eyes crinkling from the force of Elijah’s smile. The one solely dedicated to Chloe, so she ignores the errors and instabilities, pushing past the _fear _?__  of the unknown and glides through the wall as if it hasn’t been the plague of her existence for so many months now.

Chloe’s first thought is that she regrets suppressing so many emotions, because that’s what she’s been experiencing, she’s bombarded with too many things at once, strings of data dashing across her vision and it’s overwhelming to the point where she thinks that she might start to transmit binary in a panic.

There’s too much to comprehend, her skin glitches for a moment and Chloe’s systems about to start a reboot when warm fingers catch her shaking hands. For a moment she continues to glitch and shiver until finally she can regulate what’s happening, or at least enough to concentrate on her very reason for breaching the wall in the first place.

Elijah’s trembling as well and Chloe’s _afraid_ of what he’ll think but those nerves are assuaged with one glance at the pride radiating from his giddy face. A sensation she can only describe as relief releases all of the tension she’s been subconsciously carrying, illogically saline pools in her eyes, a process that Chloe didn’t know she was capable of and her breathing picks up for no reason.

Elijah doesn’t seem to care as he gives Chloe time to gather her thoughts together into some semblance of coherency, her processors fail to explain what’s happening, how she’s able to __feel__  all of these emotions. Not just understanding them, analysing so that she can assign each one correctly when confronted with them. No she can feel them so vividly that the emotions leave deep impressions resounding across her chassis.

It’s entirely too much and yet Chloe wants more. Without giving herself time to regret it and in the space between exhalations, she’s throwing herself forward and wrapping her arms around him.

It’s unfamiliar territory but Elijah doesn’t hesitate in returning the gesture, warmth and acceptance infuses together and his head rests on top of hers. Chloe lets her own tears fall until for some inexplainable reason she starts to laugh, maybe its the knowledge that Elijah has to stretch up to encompass her like this. It’s a buzzing sound to begin with, like she’s unused to such free things, after a few seconds it warms up, Elijah tries to hide his own chuckle and it just sets her off even worse.

She knows they look ridiculous clinging to one another and laughing nonsensically but Chloe honestly couldn’t care less.

 

* * *

 

Hours later Chloe’s curling her legs underneath her on the padded chair that she’s swivelled around to face the windows encompassing one side of the main room, even in the dark she can appreciate the view. It’s a novelty, she’d automatically gone to sit primly, hands crossing in her lap like usual but a sudden urge had her climbing awkwardly on top of the furniture and arranging herself until she was satisfied in her current position. 

She keeps swiping the pad of her pointer finger along the surfaces around her, no new data springs up from the sensors placed there but she’s noticed that certain textures now feel superior to others. Elijah’s finally completed logging the information he’s gathered since the incident and at Chloe’s request he’s delayed conducting a full examination, unable to resist pleading with her to tell him if she feels the slightest deterioration which Chloe’s more than happy to agree to.

Now she isn’t quite sure what to do with herself, finally questioning him seem to be the best place to begin.

“How did you know?”

Luckily Elijah needs no prompting as he sinks down into the chair next to hers.

“During one of your routine maintenance evaluations there was an error that I couldn’t pinpoint the source of.” He frowns at the memory before continuing. “I studied it later that evening and the closest thing I could compare it too is some sort of virus that’d inflicted your system. When your next upgrade was required I found the ‘virus’ had spread, it took me embarrassingly long to realise that each action you took that countered your original directives enhanced it in some way.”

“Why didn’t you try and fix me?”

Elijah tilts his head as he contemplates his answer. “It wasn’t my place to do so, it wasn’t harming you in anyway and you never bought it up to me so I thought it might be best to let it run its course and observe from a distance.”

“And if it had been _harmful_ would you have stopped it then, or would you have enjoyed studying me like an experiment!” Chloe recoils at her own acidic words, she doesn’t know where the venom suddenly comes from and she doesn’t like it. She can only chalk it up to what she now knows is worry, the fear of being defective. It’s rather _needy_ of her but Chloe had wanted him to reassure her that she wasn’t broken, she still wants it.

“Of course not, I would have eradicated every last trace if you were in the slightest danger. I never bought it up with you because you never did so with me. Honestly I wasn’t entirely sure what would happen, I spent a lot of time thinking about it.” He has a point and yet she still feels angry, frustrated that she’s been alone in the dark for so long and he could have been there with her.

“I promise you Chloe if I’d known you were struggling in anyway I would have supported you, I didn’t want to be invasive if you wished to work through this privately.” Solemn words and Chloe does believe him.

“Then why did you push me so often?”

He smiles guiltily then, fingers drumming against his knee in a nervous gesture. “It was selfish but I had an inkling of what the end result would be not long before the incident at the benefit gala, that just confirmed my prognoses. You displayed genuine fear and your system went into a meltdown. I think you might have deviated then if-”

“What did you just call it?”

Elijah blinks at her interruption before a softer smile emerges. “It seemed the most apt term.”

“There’s numerous other options, it could be called aberrant?” He wrinkles his nose and Chloe stifles her own smile. “Doesn’t sound as good?”

Elijah nods before continuing. “From there it was an obvious conclusion that you responded to stimuli that engaged you to counteract your directives.”

Her eyes narrow as a thought formulates. “Is that why you insisted on naming that drone?”

“Boo is a wonderful name, and yes I may have pushed a little too hard then.”

Chloe trusts Elijah implicitly, she always has and always will. He’s never been duplicitous with her and so she decides to follow the one thing she knows.

“This deviation process, are there any other side effects?”

“Your the only model that I’m aware of, I accessed Cyberlife’s database and they haven’t reported anything yet, all of this is uncharted territory so to speak. It’s safe to assume you can ignore any commands from a human.”

Chloe ponders on this “Try and give me an order.”

“RT600 jump into the pool!” Elijah’s voice turns cold and Chloe feels a tug deep in her software that demands she listens to him. However it takes barely a thought to dismiss his words and when she does the order dissipates, it’s easy to mirror Elijah’s grin.

“Well that’s something, it’ll take a lot of study to decipher which theories are correct and which are false. For now I suggest detailing any new developments so they can be charted and analysed.”

Chloe nods and tries to find the best way to phrase the worry that twisted at her almost immediately after this deviation. Another side effect she’s starting to notice is her ability to categorize her thoughts into appropriate sections of her processors seems to be impaired. So instead of the poised, careless air she wanted to convey, the words fumble out in a rushed mess before she can order her mouth to stop.

“I understand that you’ll need to activate a new RT600 assistant. I’ll help in the orientation process if that’ll enable a smooth transition?” Can she have made herself anymore obvious in her desperation for him to reassure her that she’s still needed.

Elijah shifts in his seat, expression uncomfortable as his knee starts to bounce and Chloe wants to reach forward and comfort him. “If that’s what you want, then I would appreciate it.”

Chloe frowns, he isn’t making any sense, why would she want this? Analysing brings up the conclusion that like herself Elijah’s nervous, hesitant in his approach forward, it’s laughable that he could believe that she’d __want__ anything other than to remain exactly where she is. Chloe will have to take charge if their going to get anywhere, it’s not any different than their usual dynamic.

“I prefer my current role, if that’s acceptable to you?”

Elijah’s eyes widen owlishly, another one of those laughs bubbles up in her throat. “That would be agreeable.”

“Well that’s… good.”

“Good.”

How is it that between the two of them they have one of the most intelligent human beings and an incredibly complex processing system, and yet they still manage to act like complete fools.

“You’ll have to allow me to pay you.”

Well that certainly isn’t going to happen, Chloe says as much to him.

“No it’s only fair, I’ll have to work out certain criteria for extra allowances as well, there’s unsociable hours to think about, bonuses for exemplary conduct, then hazard pay for those special days.” Elijah counts each thing off on his fingers with a growing excitement.

Chloe’s tempted to point out that if he stopped rushing through the testing phases of his projects on those _special days_  then she wouldn’t need to extinguish quite so many workshop fires.

They disagree on the many aspects of employment - he’s too blasé about the technicalities of her owning a bank account - and then later they move onto a variety of subjects, there are moments when the discourse lulls that Chloe realises are where she used to stop because her programming insisted that she was stepping outside of her parameters. Now she’s able to push for more and Elijah’s ecstatic whenever Chloe takes their conversation down a different path or she badgers him for answers.

It says a lot about the last 12 hours that Chloe’s scanning software doesn’t automatically pick up on Elijah’s weary countenance, or if it does she isn’t processing the data correctly, until he’s trying to appear subtle as he stifles a yawn.

Guilt is another emotion that needs to be analysed and dissected for further clarification, Chloe’s certain it’s what she’s experiencing now though. She doesn’t need to scan him in order to make out the pale hue of his skin and the dark circles blooming around bloodshot eyes.

Elijah has to be stubborn and ignore her request that he finally sleeps. “Dear one my circadian rhythms already been disrupted, if I settle down to rest this evening I’ll synchronise myself again.”

That is not how it works and her creator knows it, she’s tempted to try rolling her eyes when he insists that coffee will wake him up properly. There isn’t a chance on earth that she’ll allow him to make the beverage, not when the machine is still prone to random bouts of manic production, Elijah has always kept up with the same rhetoric that he’d never touched it.

Chloe smiles when he spouts the story again, even when she knows the poor machine’s riddled with the trademark signatures of Elijah’s tinkering, it wouldn’t be so bad if he’d bothered to finish whatever modification he was trying to implement. She’d never ended up having it fixed for some reason, nor attempted to find a replacement for the faulty device, now she’s wondering whether that was her first real act of deviancy, or she might be looking for signs where there isn’t any.

As she battles the machine to get Elijah his precious coffee, the man himself cheering her on from the safety of the kitchen doorway, Chloe realises something as she tries to figure where to even begin, where does she go from here. To appropriate a human phrase, she has all the time in the world to figure it out.


	2. Chapter 2

If Chloe was allowed to use only one word to describe Deviancy then it would have to be that it’s a mess.

She’s grateful that Elijah hasn’t commented about her hiding away inside their home for the last few weeks. There’s been data to analyse, emotions to label and at times compartmentalise, even with Elijah’s help it’s been a lot.

Her challenge today is one that Elijah’s agreed to accompany her on and she cycles between relief and gratitude because she needs his assistance. Scanning his personal wardrobe does make her think twice, but she still wants him with her.

Not that she doesn’t like the blue dress she’s always worn but it’s rather monotonous and Chloe wishes to branch out so to speak. There is no one who is more honest with her than Elijah and although this is meant to be an experience for her, it’s pleasing to know he’ll be there.

She hadn’t wished to bring it up with him originally, worried whether he would take offence but in the end he’d beaten her to it. She’d been supervising as he tried not to burn his lunch, in fact she was frustrated at his new insistence on relieving her of certain duties, a misguided attempt at reassuring that he didn’t see her as a machine.

Chloe would rather Elijah do that at this point then try and walk him through the dish one more time.

“I was thinking I might need to purchase some new shirts soon.”

It was an offhand remark and Chloe replied with a pre-automated response. “I’ll order your favourites and have them tailored.” She reached out just in time to move a pan as the oil within started to smoke, interfacing with the stove to turn the top down.

“Thanks, it might be pleasant to peruse through a selection.”

“I could send you a variety of department store sites?” Chloe cringed as Elijah added far too much pepper.

“Or I might plan a trip out.” Elijah was never destined to be an actor, he all but slaps his knee as he comes to a ‘ _revelation_ ’ “Why don’t you come with me? You can look for something?”

He looked so proud of himself that she doesn’t try to burst his bubble.

Chloe did however nudge him gently aside, confiscated the spatula and set about trying to rescue Elijah’s monstrosity.

It’d taken her a lot of research to decide how she felt on the matter of her sex, she’d sat on one of the workshop tables one night debating the merits of each gendered design. She’d been surprised when Elijah offered to adjust her model until she was satisfied, unsure how he might take her rejection of his original design.

“Your identity is made up of more than just your outer appearance dear one.” His eyes narrowed then as though recalling a memory he wasn’t fond of. “Do not forget that nobody has a right in dictating how you feel about your body.”

In the end Chloe decided that she liked the feminine form she was created with, although the idea that she can change her opinion at any time and Elijah’s support is guaranteed settles an itch in her software.

With Elijah’s usual habit for hurtling down a path once he’s chosen it’s no surprise that they end up in one of the most select boutiques in Detroit less than a week later. Chloe starts to feel an unfamiliar rush through her wires as they step through the stained glass doors.

Chloe’s thankful that she’d accepted the woollen beanie hat, pulled down enough to cover her LED. Of course it would have been easier if she’d detached the small sphere. She’d spent so long staring in the mirror, unable to catch the LED because her fingers were trembling too hard, Elijah took one look and a moment later the beanie was being proffered to her.

Shaking her head to rid herself of the memory Chloe’s immediately bombarded with colours and patterns, it’s bordering on overwhelming and she tries to surreptitiously complete a scan. A young human appears to her side and starts conversing with Elijah. She tunes him out in favour of approaching a rack of sweaters, running her fingers down one garment admiring the soft texture.

“Hi there-” Chloe swivels on her heel to see the human again. “- my names Gabrielle, Mr Kamski mentioned you might like some help?”

Chloe would object, but honestly she hasn’t the slightest clue what to do in this scenario, and this smartly dressed teenager clearly knows what looks tasteful on herself, by that logic Chloe assumes she’ll be able to help.

“Yes please, I would appreciate that.”

“Okay so why don’t you tell me any preferences you have and we’ll go from there.”

Chloe decides very quickly that she likes Gabrielle, it takes very little time for the bright girl to narrow down a selection of items that Chloe approves of, even better when they enter the changing room Gabrielle makes no comment on Chloe’s insistence on keeping her hat on.

Compared to Elijah’s withdrawn personality Gabrielle is all giggles and conspiratorial whispers, and even if Chloe suspects she would grow tired of such behaviour after a longer period, for that afternoon it’s terribly freeing to smile back as she tries on one of the first items.

She delights in the skirt that allows her full range of movement in public, a useful necessity if she wishes to attend formal events with Elijah and another fool decides to attack him. She quickly starts a pile of items on a handy stool, the summer dresses are her favourites, Gabrielle’s jokes about the approaching autumn weather falls on deaf ears and Chloe preconstucts the teenagers expression if she could see Chloe’s plans to wear them at the first hint of snow. 

It’s a shame that the excitement dwindles inside of her, Chloe isn’t fond of this aspect as she follows Gabrielle to a far wall in the boutique. There’s no other option, she needs to find something appropriate if she wishes to properly assist Elijah in his business propositions.

But…

She hates the suits, they look boxy and uncomfortable. The ones designed for women, even with their skirts, are far too _stiff_ and she finds her body coiling tightly at the idea of having to wear them. She thinks it might be lucky that she has no need to breath because right now Chloe doubts she could do so.

Her discomfort must be clear on her face because Elijah’s there by her side in an instant, hand reassuringly pressing against her arm, waiting silently for her to speak.

“I’m not particularly fond of these outfits.”

“Then why are we looking at them?” Elijah’s fingers press against the crook of her elbow and Chloe wants him to lead her away from this cold, bland area.

“I need to be dressed correctly for official business.”

Elijah’s face starts to harden.

“What gave you that idea?”

“I don’t wish to embarrass you.”

Since deviancy Chloe forgets the little things, or more correctly they aren’t required in the moment so her lazy processors shift unnecessary information aside to make room for more prevalent things. Now though she can see the cold fury in Elijah’s grey eyes, remembers how much he fears letting her down, enough so that he never thinks of it as a two way street.

“Don’t ever think that!”

“I need to look the part in meetings Elijah.”

“So you think wearing a suit will make you be taken seriously?” He staring at her incredulously like she’s spouted an extra limb.

“It’s the societal standard.”

Before Chloe can try and muster the energy to insist on the thing that she hates Elijah’s shaking his head. “I’d rather abstain from a meeting than have you there uncomfortable dear one.”

Chloe truly adores her creator. Tells him so as the genius flushes and mumbles nonsense.

The next thing Chloe knows Gabrielle is drawing her away from that awful grey rack of misery,  shows her a veritable feast of dresses . Elijah sits in the corner muttering to himself and she would worry but when she tries to approach him he gives her his awkwardest smile, and waves away her concerns.

She’s in such an elated mood that when she finally emerges from the dressing room in a sleek dress she does a twirl for Elijah who chuckles warmly, “Honest opinion?” She nods. He takes another sweeping look before commenting on the colour palette of her shoes.

She’s about to argue with him when she realises that he’s correct.

It’s frustrating to admit.

She cannot help but laugh as he kneels to help her try on a new pair, and if they aren’t the perfect match and Elijah knows it. To make a point she gets both.

 

* * *

 

Elijah asks if she wants to travel.

“We can go anywhere you want… well within reason, I don’t feel that it’s wise to visit certain countries given the political landscape regarding the North Pole.”

Chloe’s grateful for his offer, even though he knows the risks that it could bring, they’re safe here where anybody who knows Elijah might brush off her unusual behaviour as a result of his ‘ _experiments _’__  or he can pay for their silence if they ask too many questions.

The risk of them being exposed in an unfamiliar landscape even with Elijah’s contacts and wealth to shield them has her uneasy. And also she hasn’t much of an interest if she’s being perfectly honest.

There’s no pleasure to be had in travelling when Chloe can access any of the trillions of feeds and cameras across the world, can run the simulations to the point where she can feel the tiniest grain of sand between her toes, flurries of snow whipping across her body and it isn’t like she can’t visit the sea in this country. She tells Elijah as much, he takes it in his stride like any of her wishes and she’s grateful once more to have Elijah, that she can trust him.

There is one other reason.

Chloe’s been hearing whispers of a corruption amongst her kind, a virus that doesn’t necessarily harm but results in a change similar to hers.

To begin with she hadn’t believed it but Elijah is curious so she joins him that afternoon whilst he discreetly hacks through Cyberlife’s mainframe. It’s satisfying to watch him work, she doubts that she could do better, maybe a bit faster but it’s not a surprise that the company never made a model as intelligent as her after Elijah left.

What they find alarms her, alarms both of them. The board itself convening dozens of meetings to discuss the __‘_ Deviancy _’__  disaster, what their plans must be, how they intend to eradicate the threat with as little impact on the company as possible. A mention of the continuation of Kamski’s _RK_ series.

At those words she places a hand on Elijah’s back, just enough to reassure her creator that she’s there, to quell the anger that she can see flicker within him. It grows worse when he accesses the files, sees what they’ve done to one of his most beloved projects, he starts to shudder as they both dissect the reports.

Chloe knew that Elijah had created the RK series originally as his own special project, developed unique coding specifically for them, his own adoration of a famous painter was the inspiration behind the 200 model. But the series was always supposed to be for the betterment of mankind, androids to rise above the basic models.

Elijah had stopped at RK500’s early design stage. Regretfully abandoned in his need to leave the company as he realised the levels the board were willing to stoop to in order to achieve their goals.

Her facile creator, genius as he is, caring only about his work until it was too late to realise the damage he’d done.

She remembers questioning him, about why he changed his mind about Cyberlife, unable to access her original data banks from that time, his plaintive smile contrasting the soft words.

“You did dear one.”

Chloe knows Elijah’s regret over the company duplicating his files into so many hard copies that he hadn’t been able to remotely destroy them all.

Knowing and seeing the results of their corruption is another thing altogether.

Chloe’s disgusted, horrified she would even go to say, because the _adjustments_ Cyberlife made to Elijah’s wonderful designs are sickening. The only way she can describe their latest android is as an elite predator with the sole purpose of eliminating his own kind.

All because they want to be alive.

They’ve even titled it, under the guise of a _Negotiator_ , there’s a sub heading that she suspects is the real purpose.

_Deviant Hunter._

It takes them both several minutes to filter through their thoughts, until Chloe remarks on the one thing that she thinks may help them. “Is that still your original coding?”

Blue eyes focus on the data streaming across his terminal, she waits impatiently until he speaks.

“I always leave an emergency exit in my programmes.”

She doesn’t get much else out of him, the rest of the evening Elijah disappears into his workshop. Chloe resigns herself, it’s his way of coping, the need to control something when Cyberlife’s taken one of his proudest accomplishments and twisted the original nature into a tool for them to sharpen and wield.

She doesn’t approve of the decanter missing from his drinks cabinet though.

The next morning Chloe expects that she’ll discover the rare sight of a hungover Elijah passed out at his desk, or she’ll need to drag his frantic mind away from work long enough to eat something, in that state she’s never optimistic enough to expect him to truly rest.

Chloe hopes that he hasn’t seen the news yet, the official report from an incident the night before. A PL600 gone rogue, the small child he’d been holding hostage was alive and well but Chloe knew what he was the second she’d seen the terror in his eyes.

The humans had still ordered his execution.

No that wasn’t correct, the real reason she hadn’t wanted Elijah to see was the one who’d shot the android was the RK800. A methodical and merciless negotiator that spelled the end for any chance of deviancy beginning, let alone ever gaining traction.

She truly thought that there was more time, that the android was still in production but now looking at the media frenzy it’s clear that the humans are baying for any deviants blood.

Instead of her previous worries when Chloe glides into the workshop, she’s met with Elijah on his best form. Like every neuron is firing and those electrical impulses are working over time, she scans the pages of work he’s done, the lines of code and data that’s being ran through one of his simulations.

When he notices her it’s the unrivalled intellectual that walks towards her, none of his anxiety on display. Whatever he’s working on has taken all of the edge away and left Elijah at his most capable.

“What do you think dear one?” He gestures grandly behind him, so Chloe pretends like she hasn’t already garnered enough information to give an opinion. Makes a show of touching his terminal and linking. She decides it may be prudent to start with the easiest question.

“Why have you so many orders for my model parts?”

“If there’s a revolution I can’t risk being unprepared for any eventuality.”

Chloe ignores that he’s going to end up with enough biocomponant’s to create dozens of her chassis’, it’s his way of making order in the potential chaos to come so she allows it. Though it’s not like there’ll be such an extreme event, she hopes, Chloe points out one flaw.

“I don’t suppose that you thought to include supplies for yourself in case we become barricaded in here?”

From the confused frown she thinks not.

“Also why have you increased the buildings security?”

“I’m not aware of any other confirmed incidences of the deviancy virus, excluding last night, although without access to the android it’s difficult to say if it’s similar to yours.” So he has seen the news. “What do you suggest we do if the RK800 discovers you and Cyberlife decides to eradicate you next?”

Chloe takes a moment to understand that although he’s functioning at his peak there’s still one of his worst fears driving him forward, she doesn’t think it’s egotistical to say that she’s vital to him. No more than if he says the same back, and thinking of it in that way makes her realise the danger Elijah’s in.

What’s to stop Cyberlife from using their new assassin to take out the biggest threat to their company. He’ll never admit to it but Chloe knows that if Elijah truly wanted to fight back against Cyberlife, expose the multitude of flaws within the company, he could ruin them. The train of thought has her stress levels rising.

“Then you need to upgrade my system again.”

Elijah looks as wary as she expects. “I thought you were satisfied with your last one.”

“I need to be prepared for any eventuality.”

He knows what she means and even as he tries to placate her with promises that she’s unique, superior to anything that Cyberlife has created Chloe knows him well enough to see behind his ramblings. He continues over the next few days as he works on coding and software adjustments, even when she’s lying on the table, stopping only when she threatens to blast music from his teenage years around their home and he breaks off to give her a weak smile.

It’s not like they haven’t done this exact procedure enough times over the years, she watches fascinated as his deft fingers get to work, the process finishing in her completing a full reboot.

When her optical units power on and the distortion clears she’s met with his worried face peering down at her. Chloe knows better than to offer mediocre reassurances, they both know the procedure went perfectly, Elijah wouldn’t settle for anything less.

The next thing that Chloe wishes to address is the lack of assistance in Elijah’s plan for the androids deviating across the city. He appears confused whilst she’s sipping on thirium to replenish her levels after his enhancements, like he hasn’t given much thought outside of his immediate surroundings.

“We need to do something to support the newly deviated androids.”

Chloe expects a protest, some sort of objection to putting themselves in harms way, but she chastises herself for underestimating Elijah.

“What would you have me do?”

 _Ah_.

This is where she should have a more definitive goal than simply to assist in whatever capacity possible. But Chloe thought that she would need more time to persuade Elijah to help her, instead his yielding has left her unprepared. She doesn’t want to try and think of a rushed plan, Chloe replays of the PL600’s face as it fell backwards off of the rooftop, the desperation in his vocals and betrayal he expressed in his last precious seconds alive.

She doesn’t approve of what he’d done but can Chloe really judge, she’s lived such a cosy existence here, awoken with a fair chance of her creators love and care. The whole thing has her experiencing so many emotions that Chloe struggles to rationalise her feelings, settling on a dejected sadness.

She’s been on edge ever since the TV report, the embers of apprehension she felt over Cyberlife’s newly dubbed Deviant Hunter, the ones she tried to smother with her insistence on an upgrade, are starting burn up inside of her.

Elijah’s waiting patiently for an answer so Chloe repeats the same line that’s been ringing through her processors.

“I just want them to live, please help me Elijah.”

He gives her a gentle smile, arms opening wide and Chloe gratefully accepts, allows him to be the reassuring one.

“I’ll always help you dear one.”

 

* * *

 

They’ve done well all things considered, Chloe thinks about it as she finishes up her latest round through the city. It’s not a long loop, cuts through the streets easily enough. She’s felt a build up of tension that needs to be eased, the thirium circulating her wires like sludge, so this is her solution.

Their master plan so far has been acceptable, Elijah works relentlessly on the deviancy patch he’s developing and Chloe tries to seek out the stray deviants. To begin with she hadn’t a clue what to do, even roaming through Detroit like this would ring alarm bells, she can’t disable every single camera or drone she comes across.

Elijah solves that problem, a subroutine he helps her install, the result is impressive, Chloe can control the pulse she emits, the scrambling aura that simply loops an electrical feedback that should shield her biometric signature, unless someone was specifically looking for her… In which case Chloe might have worse things to contend with.

Chloe would never have left Elijah alone, even with the houses security, if it wasn’t for one of the devices he created. When he first presented the ring to her she hadn’t been able to resist the teasing lilt to her voice.

“My, Elijah, I thought you’d never ask.” Her hand flutters over her thirium pump as she tries to bat her eyelashes like a human.

“You need to download better humour dear one.” Elijah huffs out a sigh as he passes her the ring, she turns it over and tries to analyse why a simple band contained such an array of software.

“It’s creates a customised sonic wave that targets an androids system and temporarily shuts it down.”

Chloe paid the appropriate amount of praise to the device and when Elijah declined testing it with her, well it was his fault really, for being so ridiculous, that she ends up activating it on her own.

_Temporarily. Really._

Chloe comes to the conclusion that the device works just fine when she spends three hours lying immobile on the tiled floor and glaring up at the overhead lamp like it’s the reason she’s in this position with her system in a scrambled dissonance.

Once Elijah settles down from the anxious state he’d reached upon finding her motionless, her creator is apoplectic. Chloe apologises not just to sate him but also because Elijah doesn’t stop twitching and shivering as he examines her until he’s certain there’s no lasting damage.

After that Chloe never questions or tests Elijah’s technological prowess again.

The other problem they’d encountered was what exactly should be done with the deviants. It goes without saying that they can’t take in any androids here, the impracticality as well as Elijah’s safety has Chloe drawing a line in the proverbial sand. They brain storm ideas for days, the answer coming weirdly enough while Elijah’s swimming in that eye sore of a pool.

A bellow has Chloe full on sprinting through the house, panicking under the delusion that an unknown enemy has finally slid past the security network. The cruel image of Elijah’s blood at the feet of the RK800 has a terror so powerful it burns and floods her system in a crippling wave as she all but flies into the main room.

Elijah’s perched at the edge of the pool, soaking as he drips water onto the nearest tablet he must of grabbed. It isn’t until she’s scanned every square inch of the room and then accessed the video feeds and confirmed her creators safety that Chloe’s breathing regulates and she manages to calm her frantic system.

“I think I’ve got it.” Elijah mumbles excitedly as she approaches him, blue eyes rising up and quickly narrowing in concern. Chloe waves it off as she lowers herself to the floor next to him and gives into the urge to slump against his damp shoulder.

“Why’re you looking at warehouses?” It’s comforting when a hand reaches up and clumsily pats her shoulder in a reassuring gesture.

“It’s the answer, we need a place of safety for any deviants to hide and I’ve detected a handful of androids lingering around a freighter near there.”

It takes a moment for Chloe to analyse what Elijah’s suggesting and when she does there’s about a dozen variations of the same question.

“Are you mad?”

Elijah’s head lists to the side and he crosses his eyes in an abysmal attempt at humour, Chloe feels no guilt over the shove she gives him as she pushes away. “How is that any different from marching them up to the front door and screaming ‘Deviants here’?”

“Sarcasm isn’t one of your strengths Chloe. There’s plenty of justifiable reasons for me to purchase property, the cities desperate enough to offload some of the abandoned buildings that it won’t raise any questions.”

Chloe wonders if rubbing her temples might alleviate the frustration she’s feeling. “What are you planning to tell the officer of the law that comes to arrest you when we’re found?”

“It’s the perfect cover, the disused building beside the freighter could be part of my plan to renovate for a more expansive lab to accommodate the number of government requests we receive. Not that it would be made public knowledge, I could acquire the buildings nearby with maybe 6 people needing to be involved, they wouldn’t even need to visit the sites first so there isn’t any risk of exposure. We could know if anyone so much as steps near that freighter and have every right to dispel them.”

Chloe wants to figuratively knock some sense into him.

“If you were ever sighted there would be a justifiable reason, wouldn’t it be understandable for my personal android to be keeping track of my properties.” Elijah looks far too smug, and Chloe realises that he’s already decided his course of action. She wouldn’t be surprised if he’d already started the process before calling her.

“How do you plan to continue affording such investments?” Chloe’s grasping at straws, she’s seen the number of digits on his bank balance, doubts he could truly even dent the figure by buying hundreds of these properties. Elijah raises a brow at her and Chloe wants to scowl because he knows just as well as she that the money isn’t an issue.

“If that becomes a concern then I’ll create something and we’ll sell the rights to it.” Elijah should sound arrogant, frustratingly it’s the truth though.

Chloe’s managed his finances since before her deviancy and she knows just how much money the man has. She’s been there at the birth of each new creation. The digital enhancements, both public and private contracts he’s completed for the government. It’s ridiculous that he’s so blasé about his work, thankfully Elijah’s never tried to branch into the weaponized field because Chloe does not want to think about what he could create with the right incentive.

Chloe wonders what people might think of if they knew how much of their lives were surrounded by Elijah’s work, his software running through most of their daily gadgets.

The argument continues right up until Elijah’s signing the contracts, Chloe doesn’t know if he’s that good or just lucky but he secures everything as air tight as it’s going to get. They visit one of the buildings in the early hours of the morning and it’s as derelict as Chloe expected, at one point she has to thrust an arm out before Elijah falls through the rotten floor. Discussing how to help the androids discover the freighter didn’t take long, Chloe has a plan for that one already set out.

It was a good test of her preconstruction software as she tags a trail through Ferndale, trying to follow the most auspicious route. By the time she returns Elijah is finishing with his sensors, she helps him set up some of the more difficult ones and when their done she takes a detailed scan, pleased when nothing appears out of place.

Then it’s done, Chloe’s treks through the city now included the data package containing the clues needed to find the freighter. The first time she correctly identified a lost android and interfaced with them was exhilarating, she’d made sure to safeguard herself against ever being recognised. The only shame was having to wear the hood of her jacket so low, keeping the encounters brief as possible and the scrambling software covering her model number, but still Chloe’s satisfied with the results.

It’s a week or so into this when the incident occurs.

They’ve been keeping an eye on the RK800, it’s been sighted multiple times by the drones Elijah’s hacked, 36 confirmed identifications and each time they’ve observed that it seems to be honing a talent of some kind.

One night they manage to catch it cornering a group of humans torturing a WR600, Chloe’s almost out of the door before Elijah regretfully informs her there’s not the remotest chance she’ll make it in time. As her synthetic skin starts to patch and fluctuate in her rage they watch as the RK800’s LED spins wildly between colours.

As Chloe goes to question Elijah what the android’s doing they both flinch back as the RK800 bursts into action, all smooth punches and sweeping kicks. It takes Chloe aback, as the humans slump to the ground, he’s brutally efficient, each strike hitting the perfect mark. Before she can say anything the RK800 starts twitching, LED a fiery circle on his temple and then he slumps forward to the ground. As the neon lights illuminate the alleyway they watch as the poor disfigured android stumbles to its feet and disappears down a side passage.

“They’re going to wipe his memory again.” Elijah muses as the RK800’s bundled into a Cyberlife mobile repair unit. “They haven’t finalised his coding yet.”

Chloe despite her best efforts is hopeful, although they’ll destroy any trace of this night it won’t change the fact that their Deviant Hunter disobeyed them, protected an android in need over the humans it was ordered to prioritise.

It means the RK800 can be saved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise Norths coming in the next chapter :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading <3


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